Themes in the Bell Jar

 The Bell Jar, while still feeling unresolved to some extent, does have significant themes in which Esther found herself and came of age despite some belief that she did not fully yet. While it's plausible to think both the fact that she did somewhat come of age or she did not yet come of age, there is something to work with in figuring this out near the end of the novel. There are certain significant themes that contribute to the novel and Esther's coming of age in particular as well. One key theme in the book is the unusual path of Esther's growth, where one would expect growth from persevering through hardship. However, Esther's growth comes as a form of rebirth, where recovering from her attempt at suicide sets her up for her true desire of just wanting to be alive. It's strange but Esther views her first time in New York, her first marriage proposal and her success in college as "disorienting" and strange and leads her to a maddened state of mind. I believe one key obstacle in Esther's life was the struggle against societal norms for women in the 1950s, where they were expected to just lead lives as housewives. It can be interpreted thus by the reader, that the fact Esther would rather die than conform to a societal expectation of a women's lifestyle is quite revealing about her determination as a character. 

Adding on to the societal expectations of women, society seems to force Esther and other young women to always be cheery, care-free, etc. and drives a gap between what she is expected to experience and what she truly does experience. She feels like she has to suppress her intrusive feelings of gloom, cynicism, etc. Caught up in the glamour and bustle of New York, it's as if the universe is trying to tell Esther that there shouldn't be anything to worry about or to just stay happy, but deep down she feels quite the obvious and continues to have dark thoughts. Furthermore, relationships are supposed to be happy and full of love, but hers are misunderstood and undernoted with distrust. This leads Esther to believe her reactions are odd, out of place and disconnected from the rest of the world around her. 

In the Bell Jar, the view of psychiatric medicine is a critical and highlighted part of the societal norms, and themes within Esther's life as well. When Esther visits Buddy's medical school, she is troubled by the arrogance and lack of empathy the doctors portray for a woman going through labour, which deeply disturbs her. Further into the novel, Esther's first psychiatrist, Dr. Gordon, seems self-satisfied and unsympathetic and furthermore doesn't listen to Esther and prescribes unhelpful treatment for her. This common theme can be realized when one of Esther's mates in the mental institution shares similar experiences about the lack of understanding male psychiatrists have. This is comparable to the time Esther moves to a better facilitated institution, where she finally begins to heal under the care of Doctor Nolan, a progressive female psychiatrist. Ultimately, the treatments Esther undergoes plus all the experience she went through at the mental facilities suggests that psychiatric medicine is truly a peril to Esther.

I find that these key themes help Esther ultimately find some change and come of age in one way or another, and help open her eyes to her inner feelings and individualism as a sense of being isolated from the rest of the world.